Professional Promises to Myself
From babysitting and lifeguarding as a teenager to interning and working full-time as an adult, I have been exposed to wonderful colleagues who behave exactly as I would hope. You know who are you, and I thank you greatly. But unfortunately, life isn’t perfect and neither are people. Sometimes we’re stuck with those who make our days much more painful than they need to be. Sadly, those culprits probably spend their time blissfully unaware of their negative impact on colleagues.
I could dwell on those who have caused me particular distress, dissecting their unprofessional and inconsiderate behaviours, but that’s not my style. Instead, I am going to embrace them and thank them for the lessons they’ve bestowed upon me. Hear me out. We might all instinctively understand how we wish to treat others, but do we always obtain a full grasp on each behaviour we should avoid? Sometimes it takes exposure to certain characteristics to shine light on actions we deem particularly disruptive or unkind. Luckily, my “amazing” difficult individuals have taught me valuable lessons regarding the type of colleague I will not be.
Therefore, below I have listed the professional promises I have made to myself with regard to my treatment of others, in addition to my work ethic. These are irrespective of my role or seniority, so I am considering all angles of work dynamics – boss, colleague, partner, client, etc. I believe that one should maintain their foundational respect towards every person they encounter on the job, and simply alter the topic of conversation and energy to meet varying recipients where they are.
My Commitments
TO LEAN INTO
- Grammer, Spelling, Formatting
I don’t care how rushed I am feeling or how senior I become, I will always have the decency to double check my emails before sending. How do you expect people to take you seriously and respond pleasantly if you consistently misspell their name or force them to reread a sentence 5 times because it doesn’t make sense? Of course, mistakes happen. But I will take the extra 30 seconds to limit them as much as possible.
- Timeliness
I aim to show up a few minutes early at a physical event and on time attending routine “business as usual” virtual meetings. Given unexpected circumstances, I am comfortable joining just a few minutes late in a casual meeting as long as the delay is out of my hands and I communicate to those waiting to the best of my ability. I can’t believe I even have to type this, but I will always let attendees know if I cannot join a meeting in which I am expected to appear, and with as much time as possible beforehand.
- Attention
Though I am not always perfect in this area depending on my workload, timelines, and life situation, I aim to offer my undivided attention in meetings, especially those with fewer people, and of course during 1:1s. I find it very distracting and demeaning when attendees are constantly glancing at their screen or avoiding eye contact, clearly with other things on their mind. If a particular message, person, or thought does take my mind away from a conversation, I will try to explain why I lost their attention for a moment or quickly bring my mind back to that colleague.
- Follow-Through
This might be my most important promise in business (and everyday life). No matter how big or small the action item, if I tell you I am going to do something, I will do everything in my power to execute. In a similar vein, I will be realistic in what I can accomplish to avoid (~cringe) empty promises. I despise empty promises. I find discussing a topic that will never happen a useless way to spend time (unless its clearly for fun or a tactic to land on a viable option). Therefore, I will do my best to be as realistic as possible when communicating goals and deadlines.
- Update
It is completely understandable that at this very moment I either may not have an answer for you or I don’t have the time to support your request. However, I will communicate that to you as soon as I am able while also providing updates on progress along the way. I am sure we have all been in that desperate or infuriating situation where we just need a response of any sort from our recipient. My goodness, we only need to know that you read it and are working on it now or will do so in the future. I aim to take the extra 2 minutes as I am running out the door at night to let you know that I did receive your email and I will address it in XYZ manner.
- Set Others Up for Success
I will never throw someone into a conversation or task expecting them to do the work without having first prepared them for what to expect, what’s needed, and/or what the reasoning is behind the request. Morale and confidence are at risk when an employee does not feel like they are capable of the assignment at hand. I want to empower my colleagues to take on difficult requests, but only after having provided them with the tools they need to execute. This doesn’t mean holding their hands. It means offering them the time and respect to be able to approach the project with clarity.
- Kindness & Inclusion
The simplest of them all. I will show everyone equal kindness whether they deserve it or not. Life is so much simpler when we can help, and look out for, one another. Does it look like someone needs some guidance, attention, or a friendly face? Is there a new person who doesn’t know about the drinks social tomorrow night? Have you thanked the cleaners for keeping the kitchenette tidy? Asked the front desk guy how his weekend was? Waited 6 extra seconds to hold the door open for someone? I can’t act like I always find the time and energy to commit to these simple acts of good service, but I try and I will continue to do so.
- Feedback
I admit that it’s not comfortable to ask for and receive feedback, because let’s face it, we’re not perfect and could always improve in some way. What we hear may be difficult to accept. However, how do you expect to unlock the best version of yourself professionally if you don’t actively commit to improving? I am not going to pretend that some criticism might not hurt internally, but I will do my best to graciously and gratefully log the insight and then use it to improve myself and my work.
TO AVOID
- Stickler
Sure, I have high standards for the work put forth, but I will never dictate what you do and when you do it to accomplish the requested deliverable on time. I need to take care of numerous personal foundational elements before I can focus on a task, but I know this about myself and respect that others may similarly benefit from certain activities to best execute their work. For example, I value stepping outside just once during the workday to feel sharp and energised physically and mentally. It will never disrupt work, but it might be at a random (aka non-lunch hour) time if I do need to attend a lunchtime meeting. As long as you get what I need done, I won’t question you.
- Critique
Though I may kindly share your areas of improvement, my approach will not be that of a critical critique. I know what it feels like to have someone watching me not to support and uplift, but instead test my actions and abilities. This behaviour is belittling and may lead to stress and underperformance. I want my colleague to enjoy my attendance when they are leading a conversation or presenting, knowing that I won’t be there to overshadow or judge – only assist, if needed and hopefully praise.
- Negativity
We are only humans. We cannot always be “on.” We have bad days. Days that make it challenging to show up for ourselves, better yet our work peers. However, we need to remember that our moods and attitudes impact those around us. We have the powerful ability to change the dynamic and energy in a room simply by choosing to exert our negativity or positivity. Though I might introduce a heavier topic to a conversation if it’s pressing on my mind or relevant to the discussion, I will choose to do so with an element of lightness and aim to present positive next steps after I’ve aired my grievances. Complaining and stewing in that anger is one thing, explaining or venting for a few minutes and moving on is another.
- Laziness
We’ve all encountered that lazy or duplicitous person who tries to get away with next to nothing, or at least the bare minimum. Not only do I promise never to let that disposition creep into my work, but I also aim to always go one step further than what’s expected. Now I know we can’t…no, shouldn’t, all be as annoying as me (the world can’t handle too many “try hards”), but I do expect my colleagues to consistently get their work done to the best of their abilities 🙂
I hope that I can always meet myself where I expect to be, but I also want to grow this list to achieve the type of greatness I believe to be most valuable to myself, my work peers, and the workplace. Please let me know if I should add anything to this list!
Let’s crush this professional thing together!
Much love,
Bea
HealthyBea 
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